


mixed messages

by GhostsandGhouls



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 23:21:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21187673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostsandGhouls/pseuds/GhostsandGhouls
Summary: They’ve known each other almost all of their lives, being at different high schools had put some distance between them and they’re both competitive, being on different teams had been an exciting challenge. They ended up at the same university now and found it easy to reunite.





	mixed messages

**Author's Note:**

> some angst, mostly misunderstandings though.

Kuroo knows why he's here. It's stupid and he's not sure why he agreed to come. Daishou sounded like he was in desperate need of someone to help him out. Normally, Kuroo would simply refuse, because Daishou usually had an ulterior motive. It was never simple with him. Maybe that's why Kuroo liked him - why he always had.

They’ve known each other almost all of their lives, being at different high schools had put some distance between them and they’re both competitive, being on different teams had been an exciting challenge. They ended up at the same university now and found it easy to reunite. Ever since Kuroo is sure his little crush is no longer so small. It’s bordering on love at this point and they’re only just coming to the end of their first-year. They live in the same dorm too and usually walk back together after volleyball practice is finished. Kuroo’s found himself staring all the time, sometimes it distracts him on the court and it always makes him take just a little longer in the changing room.

He knows it isn’t going unnoticed, Oikawa had been quick to point it out and Kuroo almost exploded from blushing so much. They had whispered words, with Kuroo begging to keep his crush a secret between them. Daishou hadn’t mentioned it at least, which eased Kuroo’s worries - currently being sat so close together made his head spin though and his heart thumped a beat quicker.

Daishou’s anthropology class are holding an end of the year celebration meal, Daishou hadn’t wanted to come alone, and thus, Kuroo found himself in this situation. His classmates are friendly and Kuroo can easily make conversation with them. It’s better than trying to talk to Daishou, his words always manage to fail him and he’s been drinking, he knows it’ll be worse.

“Hey, four eyes,” Kuroo is startled by Daishou’s voice. He’d been having an intense staring contest with his plate, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I think I’m just tired.”

Kuroo’s certain he hears Daishou sigh, but it’s quiet and it could just be a huff of air, but it’s followed by muttered words, “Sorry for dragging you here.”

He sits up a little straighter, blinking at Daishou who’s picking at his noodles. He wants to reach out, to tell Daishou that it’s okay, he wanted to come. He always wants to be by Daishou’s side, through thick and thin. But none of that comes pouring out of his mouth and his hands are still glued at his sides. He laughs instead, then speaks, “It’s better than staying in.”

Daishou looks a little surprised, he still hasn’t looked up from his noodles and he only shrugs, “Whatever.”

Kuroo smiles, he’s used to the bristly attitude from Daishou and it makes his stomach flutter. He knows most people would be offended by his behaviour, but it’s endearing to Kuroo, “Kuroo-san,” Someone’s voice catches his attention and he drags his gaze away from Daishou. He’s faced with a boy who he can’t remember the name of, “May I sit here?”

“Sure.”

The boy sits down with a smile and leans over to grab a bowl of rice from the middle of the table. He’s cute. Short brown hair and a soft face. Usually Kuroo’s type, someone he’d commonly flirt with. But not tonight, not for the past few months, his eyes are only for Daishou now. He can appreciate that someone is attractive though and the boy looks a little red. Maybe Kuroo had been looking for a moment too long, “Would you like some rice?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” He turns back to his bowl and eats a piece of beef. Kuroo’s eyes fall back to Daishou, who’s vanished and he looks around, trying to spot him.

“He got up a little while ago. I think he went to the bathroom,” It’s the boy’s voice again and Kuroo relaxes. Maybe **that** was a little too obvious, “Are you guys dating?”

“Oh, no!” - That was a little too defensive, “No,” It sounds better now and Kuroo forces his eyes back to his bowl, he tries to pay attention to the guy next to him, “We’re just friends. We’ve known each other for a long time.”

“I see. So, he brought you along?”

“Yeah, he said he was a little nervous and didn’t want to come alone.”

He nods, Kuroo wishes he could remember his name, “I can’t say I could imagine Daishou saying that. He always looks confident.”

“Well try to keep that a secret. He’d probably kill me for telling you.”

The guy laughs. It's not subtle - he throws his head back and puts a hand over his mouth. _Obnoxious_, Kuroo thinks. The guy seems to shift a little closer, “I could definitely see that happening.”

Kuroo would usually be inclined to agree. He would have a year ago. But Daishou seems to have grown since leaving school - but maybe it’s just that he’s grown on Kuroo. Either way, it makes Kuroo happy and he shrugs off the statement, “I guess,” He _feels_ Daishou return and looks back over, he doesn’t miss the sound of a sigh from the guy to his right. Daishou’s frowning and Kuroo wonders if something might have happened, “You alright?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” His voice is harsh. Just like a snake, coiled and ready to bite.

“You look pretty pissed off.”

Daishou huffs, turning to Kuroo, “What if I am? It’s none of your business.”

Kuroo doesn’t stop himself from reaching out this time, he pressed his hand to Daishou’s arm, trying to pour support through to him, “You’re my friend, I care if someone has done something to annoy you.”

“They haven’t,” Daishou pulls his arm away and busies himself with eating, “I just wanna eat and leave.”

The rest of the night is tense, Kuroo tries to make some idle small-talk with Daishou, but all his attempts are blown-off quickly. He ends up making more conversation with Daishou’s classmates. It bothers him to know that Daishou won’t be open and honest with him. He’s turned so venomous, he couldn’t be touched.

The walk back to the dorms is filled with silence, the air itself feels cold. Kuroo knows that’s not possible, it’s spring in Tokyo and even in the dead of night, the air can be warm. Daishou is half a step ahead of him and not attempting to slow-down, though Kuroo isn’t finding it hard to keep up, his long legs allow him the luxury of slacking behind a little.

When they reach their dorm-building, Daishou throws a ‘night’ over his shoulder and vanishes without waiting for a goodbye. Kuroo slowly stalks upstairs to his room and is quickly into bed without a word to his roommate.

* * *

Kuroo is swamped with assignments and exams and he passes the first year with a high-grade. He doesn’t know about Daishou. They only see each other during volleyball practice now and Kuroo wishes he could get to the bottom of what went on--of what changed between them. Right now, they might as well be back in high-school.

Daishou is cooperative on the court though and the captain seems pleased with the progress. It still doesn’t sit quite right with Kuroo and Oikawa is the first to notice. He throws his arm around Kuroo and grins, “It’s not funny.”

“It is. I can almost see your inner conflict. Do you want any tips?”

“Not from you,” Kuroo pushes Oikawa away, ignoring the offended look he receives, “I’m not Iwaizumi, that look won’t work on me.”

Oikawa pouts this time, folding his arms, “You’re just as mean as Iwa-chan though.”

“If you say so,” When Kuroo turns back, Daishou is looking at him and he smiles shyly, hoping that his cheeks aren’t red. If they are, he can blame it on how hot he is from practice. Daishou turns away quickly, and heads off to the changing room, “It’s hopeless.”

“You’ll get there.”

They clean up and change then head home, Oikawa’s dorm is the other side of campus and he’s quick to bid goodbye and sprint off. Kuroo knows he’s trying to allow for some alone time with Daishou. It’s been too long since they had a conversation and Kuroo isn’t sure where to begin.

Daishou’s voice eventually breaks the silence, “You’re close with Oikawa.”

“We’ve known each other for a while and he’s pretty decent,” Kuroo chuckles, “He can get annoying though, I wouldn’t be able to deal with him like Iwaizumi does,” He glances down at Daishou. It’s an odd question, which seems to have come from nowhere, “I didn’t realize you were so interested.”

Daishou hums, shrugging, “Just curious, you looked well-suited back there.”

“I don’t think I’d pass the Iwaizumi seal of approval,” Kuroo laughs this time, Daishou doesn’t react though and he quickly calms down, “Hey, you okay?”

“Of course I am,” Daishou yawns, it looks strange to Kuroo but he isn’t quite sure why, “It’s just late and I’m tired.”

“Okay.” Kuroo knows not to press it, Daishou would only push him away if he did, he was always like that. He doesn’t want to face the silence again. The rest of the walk ended in silence and Daishou barely muttered goodnight before heading off to his room. Kuroo watching him go, he’s still wishing he could figure out what changed. Their relationship has felt different since the party. With the worries piled on his shoulders, he headed back to his room.

“Evening,” Kuroo hums in response to his roommates greeting and drops down onto his bed, sighing softly, “What’s with you?”

“Daishou...He’s been distance, I thought we were closer now, but I feel like he’s hiding something from me.”

“You’re hiding something too.”

Kuroo huffs, sitting up to glare at his roommate, “That’s different! I don’t want to ruin what we’ve built up together. Surely you can understand that Satori.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I’m comfortable being friends with him. I’d love for that to change, to become something more. I just doubt that it will happen, we spent three years as rivals and it’s felt like we’ve needed to build our relationship back up. It’s frustrating to think that it might be slipping and I don’t know why.”

“All you can do is talk to him, you don’t need to tell him how you feel.”

Kuroo sighs again. He knows that Tendou is right, he’ll have to try talking with Daishou, maybe try and make sense of what Daishou is thinking. He drops back down and stares aimlessly at the ceiling. He doesn’t speak with Tendou for the rest of the night, letting his mind relax to the soothing sounds of Tendou’s pencil on paper.

When he hears Tendou packing up, he moves to get changed and soon settles under his covers, “It will work out, even if you only end up staying as friends. You’ll be okay.”

“Thanks, Satori. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

* * *

A week passes before Kuroo catches Daishou alone. He’s staying back after the usual ending time for their practice, hitting a few serves, “You shouldn’t linger.”

“What the-” Daishou spins around and glares at Kuroo, “You surprised me!”

Kuroo can’t help but laugh, even as Daishou’s frown grows, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to, I promise.”

“You’re a sly cat! How am I supposed to believe you? You’d probably scare me on purpose.”

“I thought we were friends?”

“Yeah, friends,” Daishou turns back, grabbing another volleyball and hitting it over the net, “How trustworthy is a snake?”

Kuroo’s brows crease, it’s unlike Daishou to be so negative, “Did someone say something to you?”

“No. It’s not that,” Daishou shrugs, sighing and turning to face Kuroo. He knows he shouldn’t be brushing this off forever, he needs to face his feelings eventually, “You know Isosaka from my class? You two were talking at the party.”

“Oh right, yeah. I remember him but I couldn’t recall his name.”

That makes Daishou feel a little better, his stomach flutters, glad that Kuroo hadn’t been wanting to know Isosaka, “He was asking about you, after the party. I think he was interested in you. I…” He can’t say it, it makes his head spin and nerves fill his body, “I don’t know why, but I didn’t tell you. We’re good friends now, I think I was worried you’d go back to ignoring me if you started dating someone.”

“We _are_ friends and I wouldn’t forget about you so easily. A snake always leaves a mark behind,”-_you’ve poisoned me, I’m under your control_, the words fill Kuroo’s brain but don’t leave his mouth, “Come on, we should head back. It’s late,” He realises he hasn’t replied to the initial topic and chuckles, “I’m not interested in dating him. Or anyone, not right now.”

“I understand, I’ll pass the message on. Studies and volleyball are important after all.”

Kuroo grins, “Just tell him….I already like someone.”

Daishou nods. There’s a lump in his throat, Kuroo hadn’t sounded like it was just an excuse like he might be joking. It was real. Daishou felt lost. He quickly busied himself with packing away the volleyballs, trying to shake Kuroo’s words from his head.

They clean up the gym together. Daishou told Kuroo he could do it alone, but the taller boy insisted. He just wanted a second alone--a second away from Kuroo, so he could forget what had been said. They walk back to the dorm together, with Daishou talking about his upcoming classes. He needed something to distract his mind, to try and forget how he felt for Kuroo.

He wouldn’t be able to admit that he kept the information about Isosaka to himself because he’d been jealous. He saw how close the two were at the party, how happy Isosaka looked and how comfortable Kuroo was with the attention. He _hated_ it. Daishou felt like he had no right, he always liked Kuroo and when they’d gone to different high schools, he covered it with insults and challenging words. Hid behind the competitiveness of volleyball.

Even after they said goodnight, Daishou couldn’t stop thinking about Kuroo. About how he’d missed the chance to tell Kuroo how he felt. His head hit his pillow with a sigh and he ignored the questions from his roommate. He didn’t want to deal with it. Not now--not _ever_.

It would be easier if he could forget.

* * *

Kuroo found that his relationship with Daishou returned to friendly banter and volleyball talk. Daishou looked cheerful and Kuroo wondered what had put him in such a good mood. But between practice and studying, he hadn’t had the chance to ask.

He wished he could do it now, the words in his chemistry book weren’t sticking to his brain, he wanted to leave the library behind, find Daishou and kiss him. Convey everything he felt. Every second he’d wanted to kiss him. Back when they were young, or at any point during high school, when their teams would meet for a match. Kuroo had an urge to stride across the court and kiss Daishou. When Nekoma had beat Nohebi, the feeling was at its peak, he didn’t want Daishou to leave high school and carry the bitter feeling of defeat, because Kuroo knew it well too.

Kuroo’s fingers skimmed across the side of the book, wanting to reach out and slam it shut. He knew he couldn’t, this was a library, he **should** be studying. He should be taking notes, but his pen hung an inch from the page, he only wanted to write out his feelings, in painstaking detail, fold it into an envelope and slide it under Daishou’s door. Anything so his chest didn’t feel like it was about to suffocate him. It was ready to collapse from the feelings pushing down.

Every time he saw Daishou smile when they won a match, or the way he poked his tongue out when he focused on work. Kuroo wanted to drink it all in, he’d drown in it all. With a soft sigh, he pushes his glasses up and tries to focus on the next sentence in his textbook, “Hey, four eyes, mind if I sit here?”

Kuroo looks up. And, _oh_, Daishou is beautiful. His dark eyes are sparkling in the light--the stupid boring overhead ceiling lights that wouldn’t do anyone justice, yet Daishou is here, chocolate dragging Kuroo in. Kuroo wets his lips with a swipe of his tongue and clears his throat, “Sure. I don’t own this place.”

Daishou laughs. It’s full and Kuroo can see his chest rumbling. He wants to rest his head there, listen and feel every vibration as it rushes through Daishou’s body. Kuroo knows it’s stupid. Daishou hadn’t seemed to care when he mentioned he liked someone. He sits down and opens his own books, “How’s it going?”

“It isn’t. I can’t focus,” Kuroo’s words come out without trying, he only wishes that describing his own feelings was just as easy. He wants Daishou to know. How he wants to be the light in those chocolate pools, how he’d dive in and swim, until Daishou could only think of him, “None of it’s going in.”

“I thought you were a nerd for this kind of thing. Preoccupied?”

Kuroo knew he was and he can only sigh. He remembers Tendou’s words and he knows he should try. He wants Daishou to understand, “You’ll probably think it’s stupid, but I’ve been wanting to confess.”

“The person you like?” Kuroo nods, and Daishou hums, “I don’t think that’s stupid, I know it’s usually girls confessing and I bet you’ve had more than a few. Why not take a leaf from their book?”

“Huh,” He hadn’t thought of that. But he knew he’d look silly, stood there with a box of homemade sweets, twiddling his fingers and tapping his feet, blushing. Kuroo knows that Daishou wouldn’t appreciate it, “I would, but that sounds worse. He wouldn’t like that.”

“We’re adults now. University feels like a big leap from school, but we need to embrace that and learn to grow. There had been a guy I liked, I never confessed and now it’s too late, I’m moving on. There’s no use clinging to baseless hope.”

Kuroo’s brows raise. He hadn’t known Daishou liked anyone, he’d never mentioned it before and Kuroo wonders what went on, why Daishou sounds so dejected. He’s tempted to ask, but it’s a sensitive topic. He chooses to ignore Daishou’s words instead and tries to focus on finally taking some useful notes.

Their study session is quiet. Kuroo thinks that his heart has calmed a little and he finds it easier to focus. With Daishou next to him, anything feels possible, even something completely implausible, he’d do it. He’d fall into Daishou’s embrace if he could. It’s pretty late by the time they pack up and Daishou looks tired, he’s yawning through every step. Kuroo takes a deep breath and lends a supporting hand to Daishou’s back, chuckling softly, “I thought snakes eat cats?”

“I might if you don’t shut up,” Kuroo walks Daishou back to his room and helps him in. Kuroo wonders why he’s so drained, Daishou isn’t exactly a ball of energy like Hinata, but he can usually handle late-night studying or late-night practice. Kuroo’s grateful that Daishou’s roommate isn’t back yet.

He doesn’t want someone else to witness Daishou’s droopy gaze, or how he’s pressed up to Kuroo’s side. Kuroo can’t remember when it happened on the way back, but it’s nice. He helps Daishou to bed and sighs, “What have you been doing?”

Kuroo doesn’t expect an answer, but Daishou’s sleepy voice breaks through, like a bell ringing out. The clock struck twelve. Daishou is gripping at Kuroo’s sleeve, “Some stupid cat has been keeping me awake. Too noisy,” Kuroo’s breath freezes in his throat and he tries to swallow, blinking at Daishou in the dim-light. The bulb in the lamp needs changing and the light of the moon barely breaks through the shades, and Daishou’s eyes slide shut, a smile blossoms across his face, “He isn’t all bad. The glasses are cute.”

Kuroo could break right then, fall to his knees, keep Daishou awake a moment longer. He wants this to be real. But it’s merely the mutterings of someone sleep deprived, he’s heard what Tendou can say in the middle of the night. It’s stupid. _It doesn’t mean anything_, “Goodnight.” Kuroo retires, locking the door and pushing the key under the gap.

He retreats to his own room and slides into bed. Daishou’s words are filling Kuroo’s body, warmth seeps out through his skin, he knows he‘s blushing but he doesn’t care. He knows that it wasn’t anything serious. Daishou isn’t the type to keep quiet when he thinks something. Maybe Kuroo’s mind is playing tricks on him too, chemical equations run through his head and the words mingle, nothing makes sense. He’s breathless.

* * *

Daishou had a great sleep. Kuroo’s face had been ingrained into his brain and his dreams were peaceful. His confession had ran through his brain, the words felt like they might have left his lips, but his roommate hadn’t mentioned any sleep-talking, so Daishou thinks he must have imagined it. It had felt real and now he wants to say those words to Kuroo. Even if it might not be traditional, he doesn’t know how else he could explain it.

He’ll be happy when it’s time for volleyball practice. He could find Kuroo and talk to him, tell him everything. Daishou needed to get this off his chest soon, it was beginning to crush him. His day is boring and he’s itching to reach the gymnasium, mostly doodling along the side of his page. He knows he should be taking notes, paying attention to the teacher. But he can’t shake Kuroo from his thoughts.

The day ends, finally, the gymnasium is in Daishou’s sight, there’s almost a skip in his step. Kuroo’s outside and Daishou smiles. It drops quickly when he notices that Kuroo is talking to someone, it’s Isosaka from his class. They look close and Daishou remembers how they were at the restaurant, but Kuroo had been insistent that he wasn’t interested, that he liked someone.

Maybe it was all a lie. Daishou’s thoughts were bitter and he pushed past the two of them, “Kuroo, you’ll be late.” His words are harsh, Kuroo looks like he heard it. He bids goodbye to Isosaka and follows Daishou into the gymnasium. Daishou ignores him and greets his teammates before heading into the changing room.

“What’s with him?” Kuroo’s eyes had been following Daishou so intently, he hadn’t realized he almost bumped into Oikawa, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. He’s distant again. I thought--” Kuroo shakes his head, brushing aside those thoughts. The memory of Daishou’s words, how they’d pierced Kuroo’s heart. It was stupid, Daishou was practically sleep-talking, it didn’t mean anything, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll go get changed.” He receives a soft pat on the arm before walking away.

Practice goes by without incident, Daishou isn’t talking to Kuroo and Kuroo can feel the slight bit of hope fading. Maybe Daishou remembered what he said, and instead of talking about it, he was showing Kuroo that it didn‘t matter. It meant nothing.

* * *

Kuroo tries to act normal. He tries to pretend that his heart isn’t in pain. That his chest isn’t crushing him. He can’t stop thinking about Daishou, on and off the court. His heart is full. He can’t think straight and he knows his grades are slipping. He doesn’t need to be at home to hear what his mother would be saying to him, _’Kuroo, I’m disappointed in you, your grades are important’._

He knows he shouldn’t be spending so much time focused on one person. But it’s hard to shake Daishou. He has coiled his way perfectly tight around Kuroo’s entire life. Everything serves as a reminder. Kuroo is certain he’s going insane. He’s almost determined enough to stride up to Daishou in the middle of the hall and kiss him like his life depends on it.

Isosaka has been hanging around too much and it’s beginning to wear away at Kuroo’s nerves. Daishou avoids him the most at those times, sometimes Isosaka will show up at their table during lunch and the moment he sits now, Daishou will excuse himself. Despite how Kuroo had insisted that he wasn’t interested, it looked like Daishou wanted to give them space to bond - Kuroo doesn’t pretend to know, Daishou has a complex mind.

It’s infuriating.

* * *

Daishou is sick of Isosaka talking about Kuroo. It’s as if Daishou hasn’t thought it all and seen it all already. The worst part is how Isosaka is addressing Kuroo like they’re already dating when Kuroo has already made it painfully obvious that he’s not interested. Isosaka had been insistent though, _Tetsu-kun will grow to like me! I know it. He’ll forget whoever he likes soon enough._

Daishou had to refrain himself from punching Isosaka’s lips clean from his face. Still, he left them alone. He let Isosaka openly flirt with Kuroo, who always looked uncomfortable and waved off every attempt. Daishou never said a word. It was pointless, Kuroo liked somebody anyway and Daishou knew anyone else would be a better choice. If he saw Kuroo with someone, Isosaka or the guy he liked, then maybe - just maybe, he could move on. He could forget how he feels.

How every one of Kuroo’s dumb smiles made his heart jump in his chest. How his stupid glasses brought Daishou’s attention to soft hazel eyes. Kuroo’s intellect was another thing entirely too, he was smart enough to solve intricate chemical equations without spending a second to think it over, and on the court, he picked up on the opposing team's weaknesses really easily.

Daishou was infatuated and he couldn’t do anything about it. He wishes it was easy to talk with Kuroo about his feelings, even knowing nothing will come of it, he needs to get it off his chest. The only alone time they get is when they’re studying in the library. Too much is weighing on Daishou and he’s had enough of thinking about it.

“Kuroo, I want to talk with you,” Kuroo looks up from his books and raises a brow. Daishou swallows. Kuroo is beautiful. He’s bathed in the setting sun, his glasses are slightly skewed from where he’d been leaning on a hand. Daishou doesn’t know what to say, “About Isosaka--”

“Ugh. I’ve had enough of him to last me a lifetime,” Kuroo looks annoyed and Daishou doesn’t blame him. He wonders how Kuroo looks cute like this, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’ve been telling him to back off too. I know when you’re annoyed,” Daishou chuckles. He remembers what Isosaka had said to him. He knows it’s stupid, Isosaka had just been upset that he wasn’t getting anywhere with Kuroo, “It’s strange how both Isosaka and my roommate have said we’re well suited, or whatever.”

“Well, we’re friends. Look at Iwaizumi and Oikawa, those two are practically married,” Daishou nods. It’s true, but he’s a little disappointed that Kuroo hasn’t said much about their own situation. Just that they were friends, it makes his heart sink, “Don’t you think we’re close?”

“We’ve known each other for far too long. You’re just a gigantic idiotic pain in my side.”

“Hey!”

“Tetsu-chan, we’re in a library, be quiet.”

Kuroo looks around. There’s a group of people crowded around a computer and a few stragglers prowling the shelves. But apart from those few, there aren’t many people left over at this time, “You’re such a bitch,” Daishou mocks Kuroo and Kuroo lunges across the table, swatting at Daishou’s hand, “Why are you like this?”

“Why are _you_ like this?” Daishou retorts with a smirk. They pack up and leave before their ruckus ends up getting them thrown out. They walk back, with Kuroo occasionally shoving Daishou and Daishou shoving back, their loud laughter fills the air.

“Tetsu-kun! Daishou!”

“I’m going to kill him.” Daishou sniggers at Kuroo’s words.

Isosaka approaches them and looks them both over, “Date night?”

Kuroo’s brow furrows and Daishou would laugh if it weren't for such a perfect opportunity to make Isosaka back off permanently, “Yeah,” He grasps Kuroo’s hand and smirks at Isosaka, “I told you Tetsu liked somebody, he finally confessed. Now you can kindly fuck off.”

Isosaka looks completely shocked. Daishou is glaring and he quickly makes his escape. Daishou sighs and shakes his head, “Suguru, what was that?”

“You’re completely hopeless.”

They’re still holding hands, neither of them wants to let go, “I-uh, thank you.”

“Whatever,” Daishou huffs and Kuroo is opening his mouth again, ready to question it. Daishou steps closer to Kuroo and speaks up again, “Shut up. Cats really are too noisy,” He lets go of Kuroo’s hand then reached out. Kuroo is shocked when they gently cup his face, he doesn’t know what Daishou is doing. His heart is going crazy, like it’s ready to burst out of his chest, “I thought all nerds were smart.” He’s leaning in and Kuroo’s breath freezes. Their lips touch, Kuroo responds in kind, holding onto Daishou’s arms. Daishou’s hands slide up, skewing Kuroo’s glasses out of place slightly, his fingers find soft hair and bury themselves there as the kiss grows deeper.

It feels like a lifetime, but it’s quick and they’re pulling away so fast, Kuroo’s sure he’s bound to get whiplash. Daishou smiles softly like he’s found peace, “Were you jealous?”

“Of course I was! I thought for sure you’d end up with Isosaka, he’s been trying really hard.”

Kuroo chuckles and he leans forward to press their foreheads together, “Someone already caught my eye.”

“Seems that I managed to catch a cat.”

“You could have said something sooner.”

“_You_ could have said something sooner!” Kuroo grins, he steals a kiss from Daishou who quickly turns red, and pushes him away, “H-hey! Tetsu!”

He looks around and Kuroo chuckles, “You kissed me first. Don’t become all shy now, Sugu.”

“You’re insufferable,” Daishou sighs. He pulls Kuroo down into another kiss, Kuroo’s smiling against him and he grasps onto a hand. When they pull back to breathe, their fingers twine together and it’s like they were made for each other, they fit together like a puzzle, “Stupid beanstalk.”

“It’s _long cat_, thank you,” Kuroo grins. Daishou bumps him with his shoulder and starts heading toward the dorm. The walk is slow, they don’t want to part, even for a night. Kuroo is almost tempted to text Tendou and ask him to give them some room, but he doesn’t want to have Daishou feel like he’s pressured into something.

They reach the dorm far too quickly and Kuroo gently squeezes Daishou’s hand. Their eyes meet and Daishou leans up for another kiss. The halls are silent at this hour, Kuroo walks Daishou to his room. They stop at the door, which Daishou creaks open slightly. The room is empty and Kuroo feels a little heat nipping at his neck. He wants to be alone with Daishou, just to have a moment together and kiss without anyone seeing. Without anyone seeing how Daishou’s ears turn a little pink when they pull away to breathe, how his eyes stay trained on Kuroo’s lips.

Kuroo swallows. He leans forward and captures Daishou’s lips. They’re moving and Kuroo hears the click of the door behind him. His heart jumps in his chest and he has to pull away to catch his breath. His body isn’t keeping up with it all. Daishou is still staring at Kuroo’s lips, he gives a shaky sigh and runs a hand over Daishou’s cheek, “What have you done to me?”

“I feel it too,” Daishou grabs Kuroo’s hand and squeezes gently, “Tetsu, I li--” He shakes his head and takes a breath. He presses a kiss to Kuroo’s fingers, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Kuroo smiles. He steps forward and kisses Daishou. They bask in the moment, knowing that they have plenty of time together. Not just tonight. But tomorrow, and the day after. And forever.


End file.
